Ilford black cab driver who was left £555 out of pocket fighting wrong fine demands compensation from Redbridge Council
Ilford black cab driver Onkar Singh estimates that he is out of pocket by £555 after fighting a fine wrongly given to him by Redbridge Council. Photo: Onkar Singh - Credit: Archant
An Ilford black cab driver is demanding Redbridge Council pay him back the £555 he lost fighting a wrongly issued parking fine.
The council slapped 62-year-old Onkar Singh with a £110 penalty in February last year after he was supposedly caught parking at a restricted bus stop near Redbridge Central Library, in Clements Road, Ilford.
But the footage available on the council’s website appears to at no point show Mr Singh carrying out the outlawed manoeuvre.
He told the Recorder he sent the council a letter appealing the fine.
But, rather than receiving a reply or acknowledgement of receipt, “they sent bailiffs around and then got my vehicle clamped,” he said.
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He added: “They kept saying they never received the letter by the deadline.”
“In the end I had to take them to court to prove to them that I had sent my appeal in time.”
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Earlier this month, Mr Singh won a small victory at Romford County Court when Judge Foxwell ruled he was satisfied he had submitted his challenge within 28 days of it being served.
But Mr Singh remains angry that the year-long ordeal has left him hundreds of pounds out of pocket.
“When they clamped my cab I lost a day’s wages, which is about £150,” he said.
“I then paid £255 to go to court to prove that I had sent my appeal on time.
“I also had to take another day off work, costing me another £150,” he added.
“So, I have lost around £555 for not doing anything wrong.”
The original parking fine has now been cancelled, according to the council’s website.
But the council has not yet responded to Mr Singh’s request for compensation.
Mr Singh added that, during his time as cab driver, he has received six fines from Redbridge Council, all of which have been overturned on appeal.
A council spokeswoman said: “We apologise for any distress this may have caused Mr Singh.
“We are considering all of Mr Singh’s concerns as part of a thorough review of this case and will respond to him directly as soon as that is concluded.”
